Well, aren’t we peculiar?

Quirks: we all have them and, in the Capital Region, some of the more prevalent idiosyncrasies are related to food and sleeping.

Check out the list of our favorites below, gathered from On the Edge readers. To see the full list, which is now nearly 200 deep, go to http://blog.timesunion.com/kristi.

I never walk on a grate placed on a sidewalk or a sewer grate.

I won’t put butter and syrup on pancakes. I only eat them with strawberry preserves; not jelly, preserves. And it must be strawberry. If strawberry preserves are not available for my pancakes, I will not eat pancakes; even if that is the only food available.

I can’t stand to have my bellybutton touched. Makes me nauseous just to think about it.

I rub my feet together before getting in bed.

Never ever, ever mix the Skittles. Always separate them by color and eat two at a time.

The vacuum cord must be wrapped around 10 times.

Eat the whole peanuts first, then the halves.

I loathe condiments put directly on my food. Doesn’t matter what condiment, or what food. If I want to add a condiment, I dip my food into a small dish of whatever.

I have a very specific way of eating salad, which starts by eating all the lettuce and culminates in eating cucumbers.

When I was pregnant, I put a Band-Aid over my bellybutton. I couldn’t stand it sticking out. I wore it that way my entire pregnancy and would change it every day.

I don’t like things that stick to skin, particularly Band-Aids. It is to the point where I will not use a Band-Aid even if I am bleeding. The only exception is on my finger – if it wraps completely around, that’s OK, but only on me. I don’t like seeing Band-Aids on anyone else.

I have been known to fill out an entire check/transaction register (all 48 pages) using one color of ink only. And yes, I did count the pages before submitting.

I always order three sets of chopsticks when I get Chinese food so the lady behind the counter thinks that I’m sharing all the food I just ordered.

Sheets on my side have to be untucked.

I have to color-coordinate my candy and make sure there are even amounts of each color and flavor. Example, M&Ms, Skittles, Starburst, jellybeans, etc. And whatever is left over, I either toss it or give it away.

I always blow into a straw after I take off the paper, to make sure nothing got stuck inside.

Styrofoam cups give me the chills.

I hate getting ice cream on my hand while scooping it out of the carton and will do everything in my power to cajole, trick or manipulate someone into doing it for me.

I won’t eat raspberries because they’re hairy.

I like using a pen until it is out of ink before grabbing another. I hate having to start a new pen just because the one I was using is lost. The oddity is this only applies to school and work; at home, pens are all over.

I leave the bathroom or toilet stall before the toilet finishes flushing.

I clean my entire house before I leave to go on vacation.

If someone is peeling from a suntan, I want to peel it. Gross. I know. But there is nothing more satisfying than getting a good large peel and then peeling it off them.

I can’t touch cotton balls. Ugh. Hate them with a passion.

I can’t stand wooden utensils (such as ones you would use to stir something you are cooking with) or Popsicle sticks. If the wood touches my teeth, I am sure I will die.

I can’t stand to have my elbows or wrists touched.

I have to wipe doorknobs and remotes, lamp switches and wall switches with Clorox wipes in hotels/motels/rental houses. Skeeves me out. Even at home, I wipe off bathroom/bedroom door handles often — don’t even trust my family.

I can’t use the bathroom at someone’s house if the shower curtain is closed without looking behind it first.

I really hate honeycomb patterns and things with lots of holes close together, like uncooked tripe.

I have to rub the cut-off end of a cucumber against the remaining cuke after slicing it off. It removes all the poisons in the cucumber.

I cannot stand to watch people drinking from the stirring straw the bartender puts in the glass – they’re not meant to be used as real straws.

I will not eat anything purple. The only exception is grape jelly, which is only a small amount, on my PBJ.

Food on a plate cannot touch.

When I set my alarm, the number has to end in 7. So depending on how early I want to be to work, I set my alarm for 6:57, 7:07 or 7:17.

I have to sleep holding onto something — small pillow/stuffed animal/corner of the comforter/whatever. I went on vacation two years ago, the comforter was too thin and the pillows were too big to really hold onto. After tossing and turning the first night, I grabbed a (clean) towel, and slept with that in my arms every night for the rest of the trip.

I can’t eat certain whole fruits, it’s a texture thing.

When I wake from a dream, I always have to stand up before I go back to sleep.

I always rinse my glass at least three times, and I can always tell if it’s not done as the water tastes uber-funky.

Cannot eat off a three-prong fork — bad Feng Shui!

On the rare occasion I eat a Big Mac, I must take it all apart and reassemble it so it is evenly stacked.

I always walk on the left side of whoever I am walking with. It really bothers me to have a person on my left. In the car, if I am in the backseat, I always sit behind the driver.

I don’t mind getting dirty, but I do not want to be sticky.

I cannot sleep with the closet door open.

I have an obsession with the “best bite” and will eat my food in such a way that I get the best bite last. This means that I eat my pizza backwards; all the crust on my sandwich before the middle; around the outside of anything on a bun before the middle; if it’s a casserole/pasta/etc dish I will devise a bite that includes a little bit of everything and save it on my plate until last; and I will eat my soft ice cream cone for as long as possible before I nip off the point at the top.

I love cooking with tomatoes and green peppers, but I refuse to eat them and pick them out of whatever I’ve cooked. Every time I make chicken pizza (chicken, garlic, chunks of green peppers and diced tomatoes) I pull the tomatoes and peppers out and eat the rest.

I have to have my hair covering my ears when I sleep.

When I travel and have to stay in a hotel, I have to take any extra pillows and stuff them under the covers around my legs to mimic the sensation of the dogs who curl up in those positions in my own bed.

I can’t ever go an entire day without a watch.

When I wear headphones, I make sure the R is on the right ear and the L is on the left ear, and whatever device I’m listening to music on, iPod or cellphone, it needs to be in my right pocket.

I have a mild thing with 13s. If I have $13 in my wallet, I’ll give the extra dollar to my husband or kids. If I know there are 13 steps, I’ll skip the last one. I don’t go looking for them, but if I know they’re there, I’ll avoid 13s whenever possible.

I can only have crunchy peanut butter! Creamy is disgusting.

I hate velvet and can’t be near it. I actually want to throw up thinking about it.

At the gym, my locker number has to either be 10 or add up to the number 10.

When going up stairs that are “open” I have to run up them, for the thought of someone grabbing my ankles from underneath.

The money in my wallet has to be filed sequentially, starting with the ones, and all have to face forward, right side up.

I cannot eat a whole hot dog – I always leave a piece of the end on my plate.

I have saved every cellphone I have ever owned.

I have every pair of glasses I have ever owned – 21 years’ worth.

I cannot read one book at a time.

My alarm clock is 22 minutes fast.

I hate the sound of a cellphone ringing or vibrating.

I switched the height of my ponytail in fear of going bald.

You people that need the volume on the TV to be an even number need help. The volume must be an odd number.

Ohhh I forgot to add mine to your survey! Well…I must eat a slice of olive loaf like this: first, I suck out all the pimentos, even the itty bitty pieces. Next, I eat the olives. Finally, I fold the holey halves together on each side to make a smaller square and eat the corners and finish with the middle. Always this way. Never on a sandwich. Been doing this for 30+ years. Definite quirk…

I can’t reach into a potato chip bag (or popcorn or doritos – anything like that). I cannot stand getting the grease and crumbs on my fingers. I have to pour what I want (even if its an individual size bag) on a plate or in a bowl!

I agree with a lot of these, I will not walk on grates for fear of falling in. My closet door must be closed. I have always run up the stairs from my parents basement fearing someone might grab me through the opening (even now that the opening is closed I still do it)I also make sure my headphones are in the correct ear. Plus no matter how hot it is I must alway be covered while sleeping and my foot can never be hanging off my bed.

I did not realize how “peculiar” I truly was until I read and related to several of these…
I always thought it was perfectly normal!!
Strangely though – the ones that I don’t relate to – I think “well isn’t THAT peculiar!!”

All clothing must face the same way in the closet, separated by style then color. Yellow cheese just doesn’t taste good, nor do brown eggs.
Dishes cannot sit in the sink overnight-they MUST go in the dishwasher. Bathroom tap water is not as enjoyable as kitchen tap water. Shoes must be arranged by style, then color/functionality. Dishwashers, ovens, dryers, etc cannot ever be run while out of the home. All soda cans, beer bottles, cat food cans, etc must have all writing facing the same way.

Chester, I’d love to try therapy, but everything in the therapist’s office needs to be at a 90 degree angle and the session has to be exactly 47 minutes. Also, an even co-pay is bad luck, and I have yet to find someone who will accept either $19 or $21.